Defense Minister Andris Sprudš (Progressives) is ready to take responsibility for the drones that intruded into Latvian airspace on the night of Thursday not being safely shot down.
In this regard, he will respect the Saeima's decision regarding his resignation, demanded by several opposition parties. Sprudš stated this in a telephone interview on the Latvian Television program Rīta panorāma.
"Drones must be shot down — this is primarily the responsibility of the head of the armed forces and mine as a political leader," emphasized Sprudš.
"I take full responsibility. Therefore, I respect the opposition's proposal [to demand my resignation] and will also respect the Saeima's decision in this situation," he noted, adding that his task and the task of the leadership of the National Armed Forces (NAF) is to improve the ability to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles. At the same time, not forgetting additional factors such as the safety of people. For example, actions over populated areas will differ.
The fact that this is problematic is also indicated by the fact that in the last year, in several cases, the only time in European countries when a fighter jet shot down an intruding drone was in Poland.
"This capability can never be absolute in any country," the minister stated.
Drones likely flew from Ukraine
Sprudš also confirmed that the current main assumption is that drones entered Latvian territory from Ukraine on the night of Thursday.
"They strike legitimate targets on the territory of the aggressor country, but the investigation and communication with the Ukrainian side are still ongoing. Clear results will be available after the investigation is completed," the minister added.
